Separable fastener display device



June 15, 1943. P. 'r. POUTINEN 2,322,057

SEPARABLE FASTENER DISPLAY DEVICE Filed May 1,3,1940 I 3 $h69t$$h99t 1 ATTORNEYS June 15, 1943. P. 'r. POUTINEN 2,322,057

SEPARABLE FASTENER DISPLAY DEVICE Filed May 13, 1940 3 She ets-Sheet s qIEHE.

Tllqllflaw m ATTORNEYS Patented June 15, 1943 SEPARABLE FASTENEB DISPLAY DEVICE laul T. Poutinen, Jackson Heights, N. Y., assignor to Waldes Koh-I-Noor Inc., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 13, 1940, Serial No. 334,847

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a display cabinet for separable fastener structures of the type in which a pair of flexible stringers or tapes have rows of interlocking elements attached along their adjacent edges, such elements being moved into and out of interlocking engagement by a slider movable along the rows.

separable fasteners of the indicated types are generally sold in individual sealed containers made of transparent material such as Cellophane so that the customer can readily see the fastener but will not soil the fabric material of the stringer tapes though handling. As there are many kinds of separable fastener on the market, most customers like to try the fastener before buying it and the result has been that some customers destroy the sealed transparent container to get at the fastener thereby ruining the appearance of the package, subjecting the fastener-to spoilage and making it a less saleable article, while other customers who buy the fasteners as they are packaged later find that they are not satisfied with the operation of the particular slider which they have selected. It is accordingly of advantage both to the customer and to the retailer to have a display device on which can be mounted a sample fastener similar to those for sale in the sealed containers, in such manner that the customer can readily observe its con struction and can manipulate it to satisfy herself 1 is manipulated both in the opening and closing 2' directions with the greatest of ease.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the mounting for the sample separable fastener; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts illustrated in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the structure disclosed in Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the portion of the front cabinet wall which carries the sample slider; Fig. 6 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the parts shown in 5;

7 is a rear elevational view of the parts illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6; Fig. 8 is a front eleva tional view of a modified form of mounting showing a sample fastener in position thereon; Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of the mounting and fastener shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a rear elevational view of the mounting and fastener shown in Figs. 8 and 9; Fig. 11 is a front elevational view of another form of mounting for the fastener and Fig. 12 is a side elevational View of the parts illustrated in Fig. 11.

In the drawings the reference numeral [0 des1g nates generally a cabinet embodying the invention and which may be made of sheet metal or any other suitable material. The cabinet ID is provided with a plurality of spaced partitions]! which are disposed in inclined position in the cabinet and are each provided at their bottom ends with an offset foot portion disposed at substantially right angles to the body of the partition and afiording a rest for the sealed packages containing the fasteners. The partitions II are secured in inclined position in the cabinet by meansof end flaps formed from the end portions of the partitions and secured to the side walls of the cabinet in any suitable manner as by spot welding. The forward edges of the foot portions of the partitions may also be provided with flaps having attachment to the rear faces of adjacent partitions. Intermediate its ends eachv of the partitions l l is provided with a plurality of closed slots 12 which are in alignment with the slots in the other partitions and through which extend the partitions l3. Thecabinet it is thus by this arrangement of the partitions. ii and !3 subdivided into a plurality of compartments for different sized fasteners, the packages of fasteners when in the compartments resting in upright position on the foot portions of the partitions l l and against the body portions of the latter, so that they incline towards the rear to enable the front fasteners in each compartment to be readily seen by the customer.

The front wall M of the cabinet is inclined to the same degree from the vertical as are the partitions H and is provided with an elongated closed slot or aperture 15 which is rectangular in form and has its greatest dimension in the direction of the height of the wall I4 or in other words is disposed substantially vertically on the wall It. The slot l5 exposes to the view 'of the customer a sample separable fastener which is similar in construction to those contained in the packages offered for sale in the cabinet. As is usual, the separable fastener includes a pair of stringer tapes 16, I6 to the opposed edges of which are attached rows l1, l! of interlocking elements, such rows of elements being adapted to be moved into and out of interlocking engagement by a slider ISmovable lengthwise of the rows, the slider opening the fastener when manually moved to the downward direction and closing the fastener structure when moved in the opposite direction. The fastener is provided at its lower end with a bottom step l9 adapted to limit the movement of the slider l8 in the opening direction and at its upper end with a pair of end stops 28, 28 adapted to limit the movement of the slider in the closing direction. The length of the fastener structure is such that the bottom stop I9 and the end stops 28, 29 are positioned adjacently to but not in contact with the lower and upper edges respectively, of the slot l5 so that in the movements of the slider i8 the latter does not come into contact with the upper and lower edges of the slot IE to damage or mar the same due to careless operation of the slider. As is shown more clearly in Figs. 2 to 4 of the drawings, the fastener is mounted on a metal supporting base or plate 2| whose ends are bent towards each other to provide a rear folded upper portion 22 and a rear folded lower portion 23. The stringers I6, l6 of the fastener extend over the forward face of the plate 2| and are secured at their upper and lower ends to the plate portions 22 and 23 by means of rivets 24, 24 and 25, 25, respectively. When mounting the fastener on the metal plate 2|, the latter is preferably in a fiat condition. The fastener is placed upon the front face of the flat plate and the ends of the stringers l6, l6 of such fastener are then fixedly secured to the plate by means of rivets 24, 24 and 25, 25. to the plate, the upper ends thereof are spaced apart slightly as is shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 and the rivets 24, 24 and 25, 25 are spaced sufficiently from the bottom stop 19 and end stops 28, 28 so that they will be positioned on the folded plate portions 22 and 23, respectively. When the ends of the stringers are secured in proper position on the plate 2|, the upper and lower ends 22 and 23 thereof are bent or folded rearwardly about lines closely adjacent to the in either the opening or the closing direction, 5:

the spaced condition of the upper part of the stringers facilitating these operations. Preferably the front face of the plate 2! is provided In securing the stringers with a coating 26 of felted or other material colored so as to provide an attractively appearing background when the structure is opened.

The mounting plate 2! is positioned to the rear of the front wall Id of the cabinet with the fastener structure projecting through the slot !5 as is illustrated in 1 of the drawings. Means are provided on therear face of the front wall i l to support the mounting plate 2i and consequently the fastener attached thereto in fixed relation with respect to such wall. The means for mounting the plate 2! include pair of U-shaped guide members 2": and 28 which are made of sheet metal and are positioned on opposite sides of the elongated opening 55, the guide members extending lengthwise of the opening and each having one leg or side thereof spot welded or otherwise permanently secured to the rear face of the front wall I l. The recesses or channels in the U-shaped guide members 2'! and 28-face each otherso that such members fastener provide guideways within which the metal plate 2| may be slidably inserted. When the metal plate 2| is in position in the guideways 21 and 28 the folded over portions 22 and 23 thereof yieldably bear against the interior surfaces of the rear legs or sides of the channel members or guideways 21 and 28 to frictionally engage the same. Positioned adjacently below the lower ends of the guideways 21 and 28 is a plate 29 extending transversely to the guide members 21 and 28 and being secured to the rear surface of the front plate H3 in any suitable manner. The transverse plate 29 is provided with a rectangular tab portion which is bent rearwardly along the upper edge of the transverse plate 29 and then downwardly to provide a shoulder or rest 38 against which the fabric material around the lower bent end of the metal plate 2| abuts when such plate is in position between the guide channels 27 and 28 with the fastener structure properly oriented with respect to the opening I 5. Intermediate the guide members 27 and 28 and positioned above the opening I5 is a metal tab 3| secured at one end to the rear surface of the front wall l4 and depending downwardly between the channel members 2'! and 28 to overlie the upper folded end 22 of the mounting plate 2|. The metal tab 3| is made of a pliable metal material having no resiliency and which can be bent upwardly to enable the mounting plate 2| together with the fastener structure secured thereto to be inserted into the channels of the guide members 21 and 28 and thereafter bent downwardly into engagement with the folded end portion 22 of the plate 2| to secure the plate in position on the shoulder 38 and between the guide members 21 and 28. Due to the pliable and non-resilient nature of the tab 3| the tab will remain in the position in which it is placed thereby facilitating these operations, the metal tab being sufficiently stiff however to prevent a customer from readily bending it out of its holding position so as to permit the removal of the mounting plate and sample fastener.

In the assembled position of the parts it will be evident that the relatively rigid mounting plate 2| will be secured against movement relative to the front wall H! by the guide members 27 and 28, the shoulder 38 and the metal tab 3?, the plate 2| being so dimensioned in its bent condition relative to such holding members that the separable fastener attached thereto will be centered with respect to the opening I5 and will project therethrough to prominently display the working parts of the fastener and a portion of the stringers thereof. As the fastener structure is mounted on a relatively rigid plate the customer can readily operate the same by moving the slider upwardly and downwardly, the bottom stop 59 and the end stops 28, 28 thereof preventing the slider from coming into engagement with the lower and upper ends, respectively, of the opening thereby preventing any damage to the front wall of the casing. As the upper ends of the fastener device are slightly spaced and as the plate 2| is inclined at an angle to the vertical, as is illustrated more clearly in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the operation of the slider will be facilitated and the customer may readily inspect the operating metallic parts which constitute the fastener structure. The organization of the parts of which the cabinet is composed is relatively inexpensive and can be manufactured at a small cost.

While the foregoing description describes a preferred form of the invention, it will be obvious that modifications of the several parts can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus the holder 2| need not be made of sheet metal but may be made of relatively stiff cardboard folded at its ends in the same manner as the metal plate 2! or made of a single ply of straight relatively thick cardboard material as is illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12 of the drawings. In these figures the cardboard insert is designated by the reference character 39, the stringers of the fastener structure being secured thereto at their upper ends by the metal staples M3, 40 and at their lower ends by the metal staples 4|, 4|. The staples are so positioned on the stringers that they will not be exposed when the mounting is in position in the holding members on the rear face of the front wall. As in the case of the mounting plate 2|, the stringers of the fastener structure are spaced apart at their upper ends to facilitate the operation of the slider. IThe insert or mounting plate may also be made of other materials such as, for example, felt material (see Figs. 8 to 10 of the drawings). In this type of support the upper ends of the stringers may first be attached to the rear face of the felt insert by means of a plurality of transverse lines of stitches 38 and then folded back over the forward face of said insert, the lower ends thereof being folded around the lower end of the felt insert and secured to the rear surface thereof by means of two longitudinally extending lines of stitches 3S and 3'! which also secure the outer longitudinal edges of the stringers to the felt insert. The display cabinet is of course capable of variation in other directions relative to the arrangement and construction of the constituent parts as will be evident to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A display device for a separable fastener in eluding a pair of flexible stringer tapes, rows of interlocking fastener elements attached in opposed relat on to said stringer tapes and a slider movable lengthwise on said fastener structure, comprising a flat sheet of material having a front face observable by a customer and provided with an elongated aperture having a width less than the width of the separable fastener, a mount carried on the back of said sheet and arranged to close said aperture, a separable fastener structure provided on said mount and being positioned intermediate the same and said sheet so that its front central longitudinal portion composed of the rows of interlocking fastener elements and the slider project through said aperture and are in position to be readily manipulated by the customer, the side edges of said aperture framing said structure, means fixedly securing the end porlions of the flexible stringers to said mount so thatthe slider can be opened and closed longitudinally of the aperture with greater facility than is normal with the fastener structure per se, and means supporting said mount and fastener structure on the back face of said sheet so as to enable the slider of said structure to be manually moved on the elements thereof in the opening and closing directions without displacing said structure relative to said aperture, said mount and said supporting means being formed and arranged to prevent removal of thefastener structure by a customer through said aperture.

2. A display device for a separable fastener including stringer tapes, interlocking fastener elements attached to the opposed edges of said tapes and a slider movable lengthwise on said fastener iii) elements comprising a fiat sheet of metallic ma terial supported in inclined position and having a front face observable by a customer and provided with an elongated aperture having a Width less than the width of the separable fastener, a separable fastener structure mounted on the b ack of said metallic sheet and arranged so that its central longitudinal portion composed of a portion of the stringers, the fastener elements and the slider projects through and is exposed through said aperture to the view of a customer with the side edges of the aperture framing said structure, stop means provided on said structure to limit the range of movement of the slider to a distance less than the length of the elongated aperture, mounting means affixed to said fastener structure and rigidifying the latter so as to enable the slider of such structure to be readily moved lengthwise thereof, the upper ends of the stringer tapes being secured to said mounting means and positioned on the latter in spaced relation to facilitate movement of the slider in the opening direction and means securing said fastener structure and said mounting means to the back wall of said metallic sheet so as to enable the slider to be manually operated Without displacing the fastener structure as a whole relative to said aperture, said mounting and securing means being formed and arranged to prevent removal of the fastener structure by a customer through said aperture.

3. A display device for a separable fastener having a pair of flexible stringer tapes, rows of interlocking fastener elements attached in opposed relation to said stringer tapes and a slider movable lengthwise on said fastener elements, comprising a fiat sheet of metallic material affording a rigid support, said sheet having a front face observable by a customer and being provided with an upright elongated aperture having a width less than the width of the separable fastener and a length greater than the lengths of the rows of fastener elements, means for supporting said metallic sheet in inclined position to afford a full View of its front face, a mount carried on the back of the said metallic sheet and arranged to close said aperture, said mount be' ing constituted of material having a rigidity sufficient to enable the slider of the fastener structure to be manually operated without collapsing the flexible stringer tapes, a separable fastener structure provided on said mount and being positioned intermediate the same and said metallic sheet so that its central portion composed of a portion of the stringers, the rows of fastener elements and the slider project through said aperture and are in position to be readily manipulated by the customer, the side edges of said aperture framing said structure, means fixedly securing the end portions of the flexible stringers to said mount so that the slider can be opened and closed longitudinally of the aperture with greater facility than is normal with the fastener structure per se, and means provided on the back face of said metallic sheet for supporting said mount and fastener structure thereon against displacement during the operation of the slider, including a guide member arranged on each side of said aperture and adapted to slidably receive said mount, a stop member positioned at one end of said aperture and a lock member positioned at the other end of said aperture and locking said mount and fastener structure in said guide members, said mount and said supporting means being adapted to prevent removal of the fastener structure by a customer through said aperture.

4. A display device for a separable fastener having a pair of flexible stringer tapes, rows of interlocking fastener elements attached in opposed relation to said stringer tapes and a slider movable lengthwise on said fastener elements, comprising a flat sheet of metallic material affording a rigid support, said sheet having a front face observable by a customer and being provided with an upright elongated aperture having a width less than the width of the separable fastener and a length greater than the lengths of the rows of fastener elements, means for supporting said metallic sheet in inclined position to afford a full view of its front face, a separable fastener structure framed by the side edges of said aperture so that its central portion composed of a portion of the stringers, the rows of fastener elements and the slider project through said aperture and are in position to be readily manipulated by a customer, means supporting said fastener structure so that the slider can be opened and closed longitudinally of the aperture with greater facility than is normal with the fastener structure per se including a mount and fastening members fixedly securing the end portions of the flexible stringers to said mount, said mount being composed of a sheet of bendable metal maaterial, the ends of which are bent backwardly after the fastener structure is affixed thereto to place the stringers thereof under increased tension and to form two folded end portions disposed in opposed relation, means provided on the back face of said metallic sheet for supporting said mount and fastener structure thereon against displacement during the operation of the slider, including a guide member arranged on each side of said aperture and adapted to slidably receive said mount with the folded portions of the latter in yieldable engagement with the interior surfaces of said guide members, a stop member positioned at the lower end of said aperture and supporting the lower folded end of said mount, and a lock member positioned at the upper end of said aperture and coacting with the upper folded end of said mount to lock said mount and fastener structure in said guide members, said mount and said supporting means being adapted to prevent removal of the fastener structure by a customer through said aperture.

5. A display device for a separable fastener having a pair of flexible stringer tapes, rows of interlocking fastener elements attached in opposed relation to said stringer tapes and a slider movable lengthwise on said fastener elements, comprising a flat sheet of metallic material affording a rigid support, said sheet having a front face observable by a customer and being provided with an upright elongated aperture having a width less than the width of the separable fastener and a length greater than the lengths of the rows of fastener elements, means for supparting said metallic sheet in an inclined position to afford a full view of its front face, a mount carried on the back of the said metallic sheet and arranged to close said aperture, said mount being constituted of material having a rigidity sufficient to enable the slider of the fastener structure to be manually operated without collapsing the flexible stringer tapes but not so rigid as to resist bending under applied pressure, a separable fastener structure provided on said mount and being positioned intermediate the same and said metallic sheet so that its central portion composed of a portion of the stringers, the rows of fastener elements and the slider project through said aperture and are in position to be readily manipulated by'the customer, the side edges of said aperture framing said structure, means fixedly securing the end portions of the flexible stringers to said mount so that the slider can be opened and closed longitudinally of the aperture with greater facility than is normal with the fastener structure per se, and means provided on the back face of said metallic sheet for supporting said mount and fastener structure thereon against displacement during the operation of the slider, including a guide member arranged on each side of said aperture and adapted to slidably receive said mount, a stop member positioned at one end of said aperture and a lock member positioned at the other end of said aperture and locking said mount and fastener structure in said guide members, said lock member consisting of a tab made of non-resilient pliable metallic material adapted to be bent out of position to enable said mount and separable fastener to be slidably inserted into said guide members and thereafter to be bent around the adjacent end of the mount to secure the mount in position in said guide members, said mount and said supporting means being adapted to prevent removal of the fastener structure by a customer through said aperture.

6. A display device for a separable fastener including a pair of flexible stringer tapes, interlocking fastener elements attached in opposed relation to said stringer tapes and a slider movable lengthwise on said fastener structure, comprising a cabinet having a plurality of spaced partitions and a front wall composed of a sheet of relatively stiff material, said front wall being inclined from the vertical to afford a full view of its front face to a customer and being provided with an upright elongated aperture having a width less than the width of the separable fastener, a separable fastener structure mounted on the rear of said front wall and arranged so that its central longitudinal portion composed of a portion of the stringers, the fastener elements and the slider, projects through and is exposed to the view of a customer with the side edges of the aperture framing said structure, means on the rear of said front wall securing said fastener structure to the wall against removal by a customer through the aperture, said means maintaining said fastener structure against displacement relative to said aperture during the manual operation of the slider by a customer and maintaining the upper ends of the stringers of such structure in spaced relation so that the slider can be moved in the opening direction with greater facility than is normal with the fastener structure per se, and stop means limiting the range of movement of the slider to a distance less than the length of the elongated aperture.

PAUL T. POUTINEN. 

